The Guardian's Vow
by DarkEvangel94
Summary: When Konoka gets kidnapped, Setsuna blames herself for not being able to protect her. She then makes it her mission to rescue Konoka and finally tell her how she feels. Disclaimer: Negima and it's characters do not belong to me.
1. Chapter 1

In Japan, summer was in full swing; The sakura blossomed beautifully, painting the trees an avid pink, happy swimsuit-clad students bustled about on their merry way to the beach, and couples sprawled haphazardly across the many grassy lawns within the Mahora academy campus. Everyone was happy. Well...Maybe not everyone. The sun beat down hard on the concrete path to which Setsuna Sakurazaki's blistered feet tread. Oh how she wished she could be out at the beach with Asuna, Negi, and her beloved Konoka. She could picture the scene: Asuna swimming in the clear blue sea, Negi bumping into her and causing her to almost drown, Asuna kicking him in the face and sending him right across the beach, and then Konoka, forever the peace-maker, healing whatever injury Negi was bound to have (No one could survive a surprise kick from Asuna's kick-ass, barrier breaking feet) and forcing an extremely stubborn Asuna to apologize to their young teacher. It was always the same. Although she couldn't be there with her friends (friends being the perfect word, although it still sounded strange to the loner half demon) Konoka always took the time to relive every single minute of her day. The way Konoka squealed at the parts which had excited her, and sighed at the daily Negi-Asuna arguments, made Setsuna feel as though she had been right there alongside, watching the events unfold.

But unfortunately, she was on duty. She'd been walking all day, only finding the occasional rabbit, or fox; which weren't much of a threat to her. Mana had gone on vacation, (although she was due back later that night) so she was all alone with the protection of the academy. She wiped the sweat from her head, dropped Yunagi down from her shoulder, and slumped against the bark of a large tree, shaded by its huge outstretched branches. She meant only to rest for a minute or two to soothe her aching feet, but the sun had drained her completely and she soon found herself nodding off.

At the beach, two teenagers and their teacher were having a rather...eventful time. As Setsuna had pictured, red headed Asuna had beaten Negi to a pulp after he almost pulled her swimsuit off of her in an attemp to stay afloat. It was an accident of course-the english gentleman would never do such a thing on purpose, but Asuna, hot-headed and stubborn as she was, had lay into him anyway. The warmhearted healer had seperated the two and was tending to the young boy with the auburn hair. "Seriously Negi, where do you get off doing things like that?? I should get you arrested." Asuna stood, hands on hips, in an attempt to intimidate the boy prodigy. Clearly, Asuna was successful as Negi crawled backwards, dragging himself along the sand in a desperate attempt to escape. Konoka pulled Negi back by his ankles and continued to tend to his bruised ankle, which was clearly dislocated. "Asuna, he's only 10. Do you really have to go so hard on him??" She asked, glancing up and peering through her thick, chocolate coloured bangs. "Yes I do!! The kid's been spending too much time with Chamomile and not enough time training. At this rate, he's gonna end up a little pervert rather than like his father." The redhead turned to Negi, who looked up at her timidly "Really, I thought you wanted to find your dad, not women!!" Asuna's words stung Negi, and he tore his brown eyes away from the girls' heterochromic ones, and began staring at his calloused hands instead. He _had_ been training, everyday aside from this one. But maybe he shouldn't be lounging around at the beach and be in Eva's resort instead. After all, if he ever wanted to find his father, the young Springfield lad would have to be tough. He knew this more than anyone did. "Come on, Negi. Asuna's just grumpy. Ignore her and lets go swimming, how does that sound??" Konoka's bright smile broke his train of thought, although it was a nice awakenking. He much preferred it to waking up to one of Asuna's punches as he often did. He never had gotten out of the habit to climbing into her bed in his sleep.

Anyway, the sun was setting now, and he didn't much feel like swimming after Asuna's comment, so merely shook his head lightly in response. "I think I'll head on back to the dorms. I need some sleep. I'm up early tomorrow to train with Master." The British accent was barely audible when he spoke Japanese, as he was very skilled in the language, but there was clear sadness in his words, made clearer when he sighed deeply. Asuna knew that it was her fault he was now feeling this way, but was too proud to admit to it. Instead, she followed along behind him, keeping her distance so she could watch him carefully.

A wet, slightly fluffy nose snuffled around the sleeping girl. It licked her fingertips gently, feeling the rough skin on its tongue. It sniffed lightly at the strong, battle torn hands, skin hard from wielding Yunagi, and nails ragged from throwing punches. The small animal knew better than to attack the dreamer-he'd seen her skillfully slay numerous demons with those hands, and just continued around her. She stared slightly, whimpering in her nightmare mumbling something from a past memory. "Kono-chan...Hold on...Kono-chan...I'll save you...KONO-CHAN!!!" She screamed loudly, waking herself and causing the fox to scarper. She'd had that nightmare again. The one were her Ojou-sama was nearly taken away from her. She remembered the rush of the river, sweeping the child downstream, the terrible cry for help fading and becoming more strained as the water filled and stung young Konoka's lungs, and her young self, unable to save the girl to whom she had vowed to protect. The memory was still fresh in her mind, no matter how many years ago it was, and she wouldn't let herself forget it until she had proved to herself that she could protect her beloved.

Looking up at the sky, Setsuna guessed that it must have been at least 6pm. She had allowed herself to fall asleep for three hours or so, and scolded herself for not doing her job properly. Her shift was over now at least, as Mana would be clocking on soon. She headed back towards the dorms, but to Konoka, Asuna, and Negi's room rather than her own. She knew they would be back by now.


	2. Chapter 2

The water beat down on her tired body, as the sun had earlier in the day. Setsuna could hear the laughter of Konoka, Negi, and Asuna as they commented on the crappy TV show to which she could recognize some of the characters' voices. She had arrived back at their dorm before they themselves had, and so had decided to get a shower before they returned. She really did hate Konoka seeing her straight after duty, as she was usually rather sweaty, especially after such a hot day like today. Although she knew Konoka wouldn't mind-the girl just enjoyed seeing her oldest friend. Letting the water twist and wind itself about her small yet muscular body, Setsuna ran her fingers through her hair, washing away the last bit of shampoo and grime, which swirled around the plughole like a miniature, manmade whirlpool. She sighed, switched off the shower, and wrapped the towel she had brought around herself. This towel was scratchy, old, and much resembled an old dishrag rather than what it actually was. She remembered when she had forgotten the, for lack of a better word "towel", and Konoka had happily allowed her to use one of hers. It had been soft and warm on her skin; much gentler than her own, and it smelled slightly of the lemony washing powder Konoka used. She wondered if all of her clothes smelt like that: Her shirts, her jeans, her underwear...

Setsuna shook herself violently and scolded inwardly for thinking such perverted things. She blamed everything on Chamo, naturally.

Once decent, the half-demon unlocked the door and allowed the steam to poor out into the adjoining room before stepping out into the half-light. Looking around, the room appeared as empty and quiet as it was when she had arrived. The only difference was the TV light flickering, casting dark shadows across the pale walls. There was a slight murmur coming from the appliance, and the heavy breathing from the direction of the sofa told her that her friends had fallen asleep (Come to think of it, she hadn't heard the laughter for a while). The girl smiled (something she had done a fair bit of lately, now that she _had_ friends) and tiptoed as quietly as she could over to the TV, switching it off so as not to waste electricity. Something stirred behind her, making her back stiffen and causing her to stand stock-still. If she could get to Yunagi, she would be alright...

"Set-chan??" A small, sleepy voice made Setsuna's rigid body relax considerably; she really shouldn't let her imagination run wild like that, jumping to conclusions. Turning around slowly, she was met by a pair of chocolate coloured eyes, blinking blearily. "I'm sorry for waking you, Ojou-sama."

"Oh that's alright." Konoka smiled brightly, and you'd never know she'd just woken up-with the alertness reflected in those eyes. Those eyes that made Setsuna melt, go weak at the knees. Those eyes that just took her breath away every time she looked into them...Setsuna said nothing, just standing open mouthed in front of her biggest secret. A look of concern spread across Konoka's face, and she pouted slightly "What's wrong, Set-chan?? Are you ok?? Is there something wrong with my face??" At this last question, Setsuna had the overbearing urge to sweep the smaller girl up into her arms, and assure her that nothing was ever wrong when she was around, and as for her face...Well, it was perfect. She wanted to kiss the pout from her lips and hold her until the Japanese summer sun rose for the final time. But this was something that she knew she could never do. She had forbid herself from giving in to the temptation of the girl she protected. But if only she could at least _tell_ Konoka what she was feeling...

Eventually, after spending some time looking like she was impersonating a fish she shook her head meekly; still damp hair clinging to her face. Konoka smiled at how much like her child-self Setsuna looked right now. The same melancholic look that she'd had a lot when she was little clouded her face, and Konoka was puzzled as to why. "Set-chan, will you please come for a walk with me??" She asked, brushing the other girl's hair out of her face. Setsuna nodded-there was no way she was letting her Kono-chan go out alone.

The Japanese nights were comfortably warm this time of year, so there was no need for either girl to take a coat or jacket. They had left Asuna and Negi sleeping on the couch, laying a blanket over them before leaving, and placing a note on the bed so they wouldn't be worried of they woke to find them gone. The silence, although not entirely uncomfortable, made Setsuna feel unusually nervous and Konoka seemed to notice this too. She couldn't understand why Setsuna wouldn't look her in the eye, or why she was distancing herself more than she usually would. Konoka had thought that they were past this...Setsuna glanced at Konoka out of the corner of her eye and wondered whether she should say something. If only she could tell Konoka that she loved her, that she wanted more than anything to be with her, but she didn't want to jeopardize the friendship that had been rekindled.

The girls reached a hill about half a mile away from the dorms. From here, one could see the entire night sky, and it was a place Setsuna loved to come to think and clear her mind. They settled themselves on a lone bench, which clearly needed to be replaced, never mind a new paintjob. A slight breeze could be felt up here, and Konoka edged slightly towards Setsuna, who noticed the movement but couldn't physically move away. Still Konoka moved closer, until the stronger of the two girls could feel the warmth of her body against her side. The Konoe girl looked up at the sky and decided it had been too quiet for too long. "It's beautiful, isn't it??" She asked, linking arms with her friend, who seemed to be blushing, which puzzled her. Although she was feeling awkward and slightly embarrassed by what the close contact was doing to her, Setsuna managed to choke out a response "I come up here often. It helps to...to clear my head." She shivered and Konoka cuddled up closer to her, unaware of the others increasingly red face. "Me too..." The silence returned, but at least it wasn't as awkward. Konoka's head rested gently on Setsuna's shoulder and her breathing became steadier and intakes of breaths were deeper. Ten minutes passed and Setsuna knew that if she didn't tell her now, Konoka may never know her true feelings. "Ojou-sama??" She asked, but the girl didn't stir. Setsuna sighed, but it wasn't a sigh of losing her opportunity. For now, the exiled demon was happy to be so close to her Ojou-sama. Smiling to herself, she buried her face into Konoka's hair and whispered three barely audible words, and unbeknown to her, Konoka's eyes fluttered shut, happy to hear the words she never thought would pass her secret loves lips.


	3. Chapter 3

Konoka sneezed. She shouldn't have allowed herself to fall asleep last night. Especially without a jacket on. After all, summer or not, a cold was still possible. She reached for a tissue and blew her nose hard on the soft paper. She felt a little guilty about it too. Setsuna had carried her all the way back to the dorms for not wanting to wake her, catching herself a cold in the process. Konoka pulled the bed covers over her nose to hide the blush which was gently creeping across her cheeks. Setsuna...Had she really heard her say that?? Had Setsuna really said that she _loved_ Konoka?? She rolled over onto her back and stared at the springs of Asuna's bed above her. She could hear the soft snoring of Asuna and Negi coming from the sofa, where they had fallen asleep the previous night. Those two could sleep for days if left alone.

The demon screeched in pain as powerful blows from Yunagi rained down upon it. Setsuna landed, crouching, and watched as the demon dissolved into the air. There had been an unusual number of demons on the school grounds of late, and she could feel something sinister approaching. But what?? She wiped her forehead and sniffed. Trust her to get a cold in the middle of summer vacation. But more pressing matters still remained. She thought back to last night and smiled, remembering the smell of Konoka's lemony shampoo, much like the fabric conditioner she washed her clothes with. "Oh God not again..." she muttered to herself as her mind began to wander back to if Konoka's underwear smelt of the lemon conditioner too. "I have to stop thinking about these things. When did I become such a lech??" She thought, shaking her head in self disgust. But still, she had told Konoka that she loved her. "Although...Konoka _was_ asleep..." she said to herself. "Would I really be able to tell her if she was standing in front of me; face to face??"

Setsuna didn't have time to ponder as her remarkable senses suddenly revved into life. She could sense the presence of a very large demon, and it was nearing the barrier at a remarkable rate. She stood perfectly still, listening for any indication of its direction.

Konoka stepped out of the shower. She'd lay in bed long enough and couldn't stand just lounging around doing nothing. She planned on going to see Setsuna while she was on duty, maybe take her a lunch as she didn't think Setsuna was eating enough. Once dressed the girl grabbed the prepared lunch and bounded out of the dorm. She breathed in deeply as she travelled, taking in the fresh air, and listened contently to the bird song and chirruping of the cicadas. It was such a beautiful day made more so by the memory of the previous night. She didn't know what she'd do or say when she arrived and saw Setsuna. She sighed happily, that didn't matter. All that mattered was seeing her.

Setsuna screamed in pain as her small body pounded into a tree. She winced, struggling to stand. This demon was strong. She hadn't faced anything like it for a long time. Setsuna's job was to protect the barrier at all costs, and she refused to fail in her duty. The demon laughed maniacally. "You are not what I came for. Tell me where the princess is, and I may spare your pathetic life." The look of agony left her face replaced by a mixture of defiance and fear. "You may not have Konoka!!" she yelled, grasping Yunagi firmly in her hands. Setsuna hadn't realized that the demon had meant Asuna, and she'd accidentally set up Konoka by making the demon think that it was her he had come to collect.

Konoka heard Setsuna shout her name and stood perfectly still behind a tree. She listened as the demon spoke "Konoka...I was under the impression that the princess was under a different name. But no matter, she is much needed in my masters' plans." Setsuna's face grew angry, she would give her life to protect Konoka, and Konoka knew this. She wouldn't let Setsuna die for her. Just as she was about to step out of her hiding place, the tree itself was uprooted and thrown aside by massive jaws. "Well well, it appears we have a spy in our midst." He smirked, grabbing her in his clawed paws. "Konoka!!" Setsuna screeched, lunging forward toward the wolf-like demon but he batted her away as though she were a mere fly. "Konoka?? So this is the princess..." He looked down upon her, examining her with his menacing eyes, sending shivers through her body. Konoka wriggled in his grasp, punching and kicking with all the strength she could muster. The demon laughed. "Feisty little girl, aren't you??" It seemed as though he had forgotten Setsuna's presence, and she took this chance to attack. Jumping into the air, she swung Yunagi over her shoulder, preparing to strike the demon with all of her might. The demon though had other ideas "Time to take our leave, yes princess??" Konoka could do nothing to stop him. As the demon began to vanish with her, Konoka shouted out to her Set-chan for the last time "Setsuna!!"

With the sudden disappearance of the demon, Setsuna smacked hard into a large tree, crashing to the ground with the Konoka's last cry ringing in her ears. Then, the world went black.

**Sorry for how crappy this chapter is.**


	4. Chapter 4

_The stars shone brightly, creating the silhouette of two girls walking along a moonlit beach. Their hands clasped tightly together, and they spoke in hushed, dreamy tones, blending in with the soothing sound of the waves lapping the shore. "Secchan...May I ask you something??" Konoka spoke as though she were finding it hard to breathe; her normally happy-go-lucky personality lost, replaced by that of a nervous little girl. Setsuna turned to Konoka, her so-often-stern mouth turned up at the corner just a tad. She nodded, indicating for the other girl to ask away. "Well...we've been through so much together, haven't we Secchan??" A slight redness spread across her cheeks, telling Setsuna that this wasn't the question Konoka was nervous about, but asked anyway for nothing else to say. "Is that all?? Yes, we have. It's been a very eventful time of late. But at least we're back together." The Konoe uttered her friend's last word in a voice which was barely a whisper, and her blush began to grow. "I wonder...would you ever consider me as anything more than a friend...or your 'Ojou-Sama'??" Setsuna stopped dead in her tracks. Whatever she had been expecting it hadn't been this-not that she wasn't completely thrilled-and now, the smile was replaced by a look of complete and utter astonishment. "M-m-more than a friend??! Y-you mean like a..." Setsuna didn't even need to say the last word and Konoka nodded ever so slightly. Konoka didn't have a chance to move before she found herself in a tight embrace, strong arms thrown around her neck, and lips pressed hard against her own. She reveled in the feel of soft flesh pressing on her mouth, the taste of hot breath, and the scent of apple shampoo. When the other girl peeled her body away, Konoka barely managed to mumble "Does that mean yes??"_

Setsuna's eyes stayed shut, trying to fall back into the dream she had been so content living in. She could hear voices, familiar, worried voices talking in almost whispers, about her no less. Lying still, she let the dream slip into the back of her mind (she would save it for later) and listened intently. "So there's no sign of Konoka then??" A worried orange headed girl asked a younger, yet much more mature boy. The boys' auburn head shook wearily (not that Setsuna could see this mind) and he looked exhausted. Takamichi and I were up all night searching for her…But there was no sign anywhere. I just don't understand where she could be." Setsuna, still lying shut eyed on the soft bed in the nurse's office, could practically feel the bad vibes and awkward glances being passed around the room. Negi and Asuna knew something that she didn't, and she really didn't like not being in the know; especially when the subject was Konoka. She wanted answers, and she wanted them now.

Opening her eyes slowly, the young swordswoman spoke "Konoka was taken." Although Setsuna's tough exterior was perfectly intact, her insides were twisting, shredding at the mere thought of Konoka in trouble. The other two were surprised at the sudden interruption of the girl they thought was still sleeping soundly and they exchanged shifty looks between one another. "We know…" Negi began shakily "we found you at the base of a tree late yesterday. It took most of the class to find you, but it was Mana who eventually spotted you and brought you back." Setsuna ignored Negi, thinking about her beloved and what she might be feeling and going through. "It's all my fault…" Setsuna muttered glumly. It was said as a statement of fact, and left the other two speechless; after all, what would you say to someone who had just watched the one they loved be snatched away to God knows where and God knows how long for?? All Setsuna wanted was Konoka; or at least to know she was safe.

"We think it may have been Fate who took her. But we're not sure why. We also believe that it wasn't actually Konoka he was after, but-"

"Me." Asuna cut Negi off mid-sentence, and stared at the hands she was wringing nervously. "I'm sorry Setsuna. Konoka was taken because of me. But we'll get her back."

Setsuna waved her hand passively, as though waving off what Asuna had said. "No, Asuna. The only person at fault here is me. I put Ojou-sama in danger. But you're right about one thing-we will get her back."

Konoka lay with her head against the floor. A spell placed on her to prevent her escape restricted her movement to such an extent that she couldn't even raise her head to take in her surroundings. She could smell something much like rotting flesh wafting from a direction behind her and she tried to distract herself from thinking about the smell's origin and being perfectly honest to herself, she didn't _want_ to take in her surroundings. All Konoka could do was think. She thought about everything. From her favourite meal, to methods to improve her skills as a healer, she thought for a good long while to pass the time. No matter what crossed her mind, it always came back to Setsuna. She hoped with all her heart that Setsuna was well and ok. She would feel terrible if something had happened to her and couldn't bear the thought of her in trouble. On the contrary to Setsuna's thoughts, Konoka didn't blame her for anything that had happened. Even all those years ago when she was swept away in the river current and Setsuna had claimed it was her fault for not protecting her, she had insisted otherwise. Nothing could possibly be Setsuna's fault; not now, not ever.

Konoka wiped away a stray tear, and only after which did she realize that she could move again. Her limbs ached and she sat up slowly and just as painfully as the hard thumping in her chest. The rhythmic beating of her heart made her feel quite sick, coupled with the horrid smell which still hung from her cell, clinging to her nostrils. Somewhere in the distance, footsteps could be heard, muffled, but moving with purpose. Konoka listened as the steps grew closer and clearer. Little did she know that the purpose was her.

A familiar face rounded a corner in the corridor leading away from the cells. He smiled at the increased roundness in Konoka's bright, brown eyes and a certain smugness clouded his features. The words he uttered, although not in the least threatening, sent chills through her body and caused goosebumps to erupt all over: "Hello, Konoka."

**Totally and completely sorry for the absolute crap which sprouts forth from my rather tired brain. I have lots of exams this week y'see, which is also the reason for my taking so long uploading this chapter. I'll try to get the next one up ASAP, but I can't make any promises. Oh, and also I wanna say thanks for the couple of reviews I've received; They're a major boost of confidence and put a smile on my face :) Anyways, I hope this wasn't **_**too**_** disappointing.**

**Shannen. (That's me :D)**


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